by Max Howell
“You could, Mark. I have watched you closely.”
“But what would you do?”
“I honestly feel, Mark, that I have been coaching long enough. It is not that I do not like it, but with the wife and kids, and the cost of living going up, it just does not bring in enough money. As you know, I have been selling real estate on the side the last year, and I will earn more in a year from that than I would in five years’ coaching. So I have formally agreed to accept a partnership at the Berkeley Real Estate beginning just about when you graduate. You could finish your PhD and then take over.”
“I just cannot believe this, coach. Are you sure you know what you are saying?”
“I have talked it over with the family, I have had meetings with the swim team, and the new Director of Athletics, Greg Englehardt. The job is yours if you want it, straight after your graduation.”
“Do you mind if I think about it, coach? This is a big shock to me. It is the last thing I expected and I would like to talk to Dr Henry about it.”
“That is fine, Mark. The reason I am mentioning it now is that you would also have to become a U.S. citizen. That is another consideration for you.”
“But even if I thought about it, getting citizenship could take years. The waiting list for Australians is something like twenty years, last time I heard.”
“That is all true, Mark. We have been looking into it. Our Congressman has already been approached, and he has agreed to sponsor a Special Act of Congress for you. It would take about a year, but it would be a certainty.”
“A Special Act of Congress?”
Yes, any Congressman can put through such an Act. It is used for special immigration cases, artists, politicians, political refugees, and even athletes, people who are outstanding in their field and should not be subjected to the normal waiting period.”
“Whew! If you do not mind I have really got to think about this. My head is just spinning. You can appreciate what a momentous decision it would be for me!”
“I can, Mark, take as long as you like.”
He thought about it all night. At one moment it seemed the fulfillment of his greatest hopes, and at another he realised it meant giving up Australian citizenship. He vacillated backwards and forwards.
The next day he went early to Harmon Gymnasium, and as was his custom Dr Henry was there hours before anyone else, meticulously going over an intended publication. To Dr Henry each word he wrote was important, and he always carefully weighed each one, and then the completed sentence, with great care. He stopped work as Mark walked in.
“Well, my boy, what made you get up so early?” “I just could not sleep, Dr Henry, I am faced with maybe the most important decision of my life, and I need your advice.”
“It seems to me, Mark, you are pretty experienced at making decisions on your own.”
“Maybe, but you and coach Schroth have paved the way for me over the years more than you may think. You both gave me numerous opportunities. I really need your help, Dr Henry. I hate to interrupt your work, but could we go for a stroll?”
“Why not? The doctor says I need more regular exercise, as I have been having a little trouble lately. So it gives me a good excuse and pleases my doctor.”
They walked through the campus, and sat down in the eucalyptus grove.
“Okay Mark,” said Dr Henry, “what is troubling you?”
“Well, yesterday coach Schroth made me a proposition which has flabbergasted me. As you of all people know, I have never been as happy as I have here at Berkeley, combining sport with scholarship. George has offered me the head coaching job of the swim team after I finish my doctorate.”
Dr Henry drew in his breath, and then said: “And what is he going to do?”
“He has decided to venture into real estate, he needs more money for his growing family.”
“The important thing, Mark, is what you think, not what I think.”
“I know, Dr Henry, but the fact is I am torn, really torn, and I always appreciate your sage advice. I simply cannot make up my mind.”
“Let us just talk about it then, and try to weigh it all up.”
“Well” said Mark, “as I said it is beyond anything I could have imagined. As soon as I came to America and came under coach Schroth’s influence I thought in the back of my mind that his job was the most ideal on earth. Not in Australia, where coaching does not have the same prestige and status, but in America, and at the College level. He is a wonderful coach, Dr Henry, better than most people give him credit for. He is a master teacher. He works with each individual, setting goals for each one. He treats his team like adults, and is able to put the sport of swimming into perspective. He is interested in the long-term future of everyone he works with. He is a wonderful man, Dr Henry, and I have learned so much from being around him. I can see that I could make a similar contribution, and what I have concluded overall so far in my life is that I want to be in a profession where I can influence other people, change their lives, assist them in their careers. Just like you did with me, Dr Henry. You changed my life, I would like that same opportunity to help others.”
“Sounds to me like you have already made up your mind, Mark.”
“No I have not. It is more complicated than that. There are two problems. Working with you has also been an inspiration. To me, Dr Henry, you represent the ultimate scholar.”
“Now, young fella, do not get carried away.”
“I mean it, Dr Henry. I know I can never be as good as you, I simply do not have your brain-power, but you have convinced me of the value of research, and I would like to keep up with that. I could not visualise a life now in which I was not pursuing some questions of academic importance, like you are.”
“Okay, you said there are two problems. What is the other one?”
“To stay in America I would have to give up my Australian citizenship. Apparently everyone has already agreed that they will be able to get a Special Act of Congress for me.”
“Do you feel that deeply committed to Australia, Mark?”
“I love Australia, Dr Henry, with all its faults. When I left there I did not realise it had any problems. Now I know that it has done little for the aborigines, and maybe there is more racial discrimination there than I ever imagined. Even my own father called them ‘abos’ and ‘lazy bastards’, and also told me they ‘didn’t know how to drink’. Fancy him talking, he and his mates at the Coach and Horses. They drink themselves to oblivion every day.
“Then there is the education system,” he went on. “After my exposure here at Berkeley I can see that the whole education system in Australia needs an overhaul. Oh, the standard is high enough, do not misunderstand me. It is not a question of what is taught, but how it is taught. There is so little enthusiasm. Most teachers have become bureaucratic drones. Personal incentive is missing. There needs to be a system where the good teachers are encouraged, financially. Surely they all began with high ideals and motivation. The system seems to sap it out of them. My exposure here has taught me that education can be a life-long process, for the teacher as well as the student.
“Then there is the attitude towards athletics. Sport is like a religion in Australia, but sport is mainly run by narrow-minded men with no vision, more interested in feathering their own nests, getting titles and free trips, than helping the athletes, who are the reason for their existence. I do not know whether scholarships are the answer, I am still undecided on that, though one certainly helped me, but the athletes need more help, they are not products who can be discarded when they are no longer useful. I could go on and on, but it annoys me to see the non-adult relationship between the coach or the administrator and the athlete.”
“It seems to me, Mark,” interrupted Dr Henry, “like I said before, you have already made up your mind.”
“No I have not, Dr Henry. I love Australia with all its faults. It is my home. I love its sights and its sounds. All of last night parts of verse and songs have been going through
my head, verse that has been part of my upbringing, and each time a wave of nostalgia hits me, like:
There’s a track winding back to an old fashioned shack
Along the road to Gundagai:
Where the blue gums are growing and the Murrumbidgee’s flowing,
Beneath that sunny sky;
Where my daddy and mother are waiting for me,
And the pals of my childhood once more I will see.
Then no more will I roam, when I’m heading right for home
Along the road to Gundagai.
“These and many other songs and poems have been reverberating in my brain. They mean nothing to you, perhaps, but to me they are the songs of my homeland, its emerging heritage, and are telling the story of the history of the land and the people’s love of it. I love the rugged coast-line, the beaches, the gum trees, the stars in the skies, the football, the cricket … I love all these things and many more. My dilemma, Dr Henry, is that I do not know whether I can live without those things. Then there is the Australian himself. Mind you, I love America and the Americans, but the true Aussie is different. He is more down-to-earth, more fun-loving, more devil-may-care. He has a better sense of humour and enjoys life more. I would not exaggerate and pretend they work all that hard, but they have a pretty good time. Leisure plays an unbelievable part in their lives.
“And yet, Dr Henry, I find myself attracted more and more to America. The American is generous to a fault. I cannot tell you how much help I have received since coming here. I like America’s competitiveness, and the work ethic. Maybe I am an unusual Australian, I do not know. Maybe it is the competitiveness that I learned from swimming. I think life should be in the market-place, and the best should emerge at the top. In America the pay-off is for the worker. I never thought about it much before, but in Australia the mateship phenomenon is predominant. It is not so important what you know, but who you know. Jobs for your mates predominates. I do not like that. Here it is what you do that counts. What has happened to me is a good example. Anyhow, Dr Henry, you can see where I am at. One minute I swing towards staying here, the other I am going home. Just when I have made up my mind in one direction, I find myself vacillating the opposite way.”
“Well, Mark, I am really not certain I can help you. Love of country is a subject I do not want to get involved in. I have only ever lived in the USA and it has its faults also. The black problem is worse than yours by a country mile, our lack of social justice in looking after the needy in a land of plenty, our lack of public hospitals, our naivety in foreign relations, and so on. I too could go on and on. But despite all its faults, like you I have a deep respect for my country, and could not imagine living anywhere else. I personally would hate to be faced with your decision.
“But let me just add a few points. Becoming an American citizen, or a Canadian citizen, does not mean you are giving up your heritage. One good thing about the USA is that it has been a melting pot, and people when they arrive from Greece or Yugoslavia or wherever immediately learn English, go to the ball game, have hot dogs and hamburgers. They try to be Americans from the word go. I know of no other country that has that same compelling drive to assimilate the culture.
“And yet, Mark, those are only surface things. Everyone tries to be American, but the Italian still speaks his original language at home, drinks his wine and eats his pasta, and lives in Italian enclaves in New York and Chicago and San Francisco. Have a walk through Fisherman’s Wharf and tell me the Italian has lost his heritage in America. You will not lose yours either. Remember, giving up your citizenship does not mean you are giving up Australia. You can go back to Australia every year if you want to. Wherever you are in the world, Mark, you will still be an Australian. That accent of yours is not liable to disappear in hurry.”
“I guess you are right, Dr Henry. I know one thing for certain, and that is whatever happens I will always remain an Australian in my heart.”
“I wonder whether most immigrants are much different. I am certain the Italian loves his adopted country, but fundamentally he would feel like you do about the land of his birth.”
“Maybe, and I do not want to knock Italy or any of those places, but Australia is special, Dr Henry. People do not leave Australia for a better place to live, because of poverty or disease or famine. Australia has it all. The only place I have seen similar to it is California. You know my criticisms of Australia, but they are minor when you look at the general lifestyle there.”
“Okay, Mark, so let us put Australia a little bit ahead in the life-style ledger, as we try to weigh it all up.”
“But do not get me wrong, Dr Henry. I love America, to me it is like what I read about before I arrived, ‘the land of opportunity’. There is no gold in the streets, which some of the poor European immigrants thought there was, but there is a different kind of gold available. It is opportunity. Success is there for the one who wants to work. Anyone can do anything here. There is no way I would have obtained a PhD in Australia, and I like the American, Dr Henry, he would give you the shirt off his back. So many have helped me. Maybe there is a loud-mouthed American, but there is a loud-mouthed Australian, and German, and Englishman. America does not have a corner on that market. Contrary to what I thought or I had been told, I find Americans basically conservative, careful, thoughtful and kind.”
“I think we should have you give a few speeches around the country.”
“Maybe, because I think the American generally underrates himself, and puts himself down. Yet much of the world seems to have the opposite image.”
“Okay, Mark, we have now looked at life-style. How about job opportunities?”
“There is not much of a debate there. The Australian authorities would appoint me to a primary school, or elementary school as you call it, and even then only with a letter of permission because I did not take teacher training there. Getting a PhD in America does not mean much to those in the Australian educational bureaucracy. I could get lucky, but my mail has not been replete with job offers. If I coached, it would be in a situation like my old coach Terry Somerville, and I just could not see myself doing that with three degrees under my belt. I know my personal pride would not allow it. No, when you evaluate the job side, it is simply no contest. The score is one-all to this point. I just cannot see wasting seven years of academic study.”
“So what about family and friends, Mark?”
“Well, my Dad is dead and I was really close to him. Of course my Mum is alive, and that means a lot. I have never talked to you about it, Dr Henry, but I was once very much in love, and I would have returned at the end of my bachelor’s degree for her. But she married in Australia, and she now has a baby. Then there is my close friend Frank, and that is about it. And of course there is Terry, my old coach. Apart from Mum, and she is amazingly healthy, there is nothing to bind me to Australia, and I have made a lot of good friends here: you, the swim team, many of the athletes, coach Schroth, Bob Losey. It has been a new life for me here. I was pretty much of a loner during my swimming days, so surprisingly I would have to admit I have more friends here.”
“Well, all that is very interesting. One of these days I would like to talk to you about that girl friend of yours. I have wondered why you do not seem to have much to do with girls, let us talk about it sometime, it might help. However, let us leave that subject for the present. What else is there? Let us think - life-style?”
“I guess we have already answered that in a way. The Australian life style is hard to beat, but I must be honest with myself and say I lean towards the American competitive way of life. I like challenges, I like achievement, I like being judged on performance. Maybe that is why I won gold medals.”
“Climate?”
“It is a bit of a saw-off. Berkeley and Sydney are about the same. Our beaches are better, no question about that, but climate overall balances out.”
“So I guess, Mark, it really comes down to what you want to do in life. How important is your career to
you?”
“It means everything to me, Dr Henry. I came to America as it gave me the opportunity for a higher education. I have gone further here than I ever dreamed of, and I know in my mind what I want to do. I want to help others get to where I am and I want to do research. I guess that is what concerns me about the coaching job, whether I would be adequately challenged academically. I would like to keep learning, Dr Henry, I feel I know so little and there is so much to know. I have to say you have opened my eyes.”
“Well, Mark, I think you already know the answer to the question that has been plaguing you. But there is something I kept from you, and I was not going to tell you if you had already decided to leave. You know you have some pretty good friends in the Department. I have been authorised to offer you an academic course to teach. I have enough to do with my Motor Learning and Physiological Hygiene. We need a separate course in Sport Psychology, and I know you can pioneer it.”
“Dr. Henry, I do not know what to say.”
“There is just a little more, Mark. I have so many projects I cannot handle them all. I would be very happy to work on a research project or two with you until you want to branch out on your own. So you see, Mark, you can balance your coaching with teaching an academic subject and doing research.”
“Dr. Henry, I do not have to think about it. I am very honoured by all this. It will hurt me to give up my Australian citizenship, but I would be a fool to give up the opportunities that I have been offered. I am very happy, honoured is the only word, to stay at Berkeley.”
“Well, Mark, everyone here will be pleased.”
“I am relieved, Dr. Henry, that it is all over. My main objective is to finish the doctorate, and then get on with my career, here!”
Mark was awarded his doctorate within the year. It had been slightly over seven years since he left Australia. So he became the swim coach at the University of California at Berkeley, with a faculty appointment in the Department of Physical Education.
